Sunday, January 16, 2011

Spaghetti Carbonara the healthier way

So it's that time of year again when many of us are trying to shed those extra holiday pounds, but it's also that time of year where many of us are still enduring the colder winter temps and are still craving comfort foods, which if you're anything like me tend to pack on even more pounds, (I call it my "Polar Bear Season" ) and then come Spring I go into panic mode about the extra poundage and how those cute little Summer outfits just aren't going to look as cute as they once did, so I'm always excited when I come across a favorite that someone has taken the time to revamp and come up with a new and improved reduced fat version and it's always an added bonus when you can't tell the difference, or hey, it might actually surprise you and taste better than the fat laden one and that's what I came across the other day while reading the November issue of Redbook. They took the Cheesecake Factory's 2,200 calorie , 83g saturated fat  packed Spaghetti Carbonara and turned it into a 450 calorie, 7g saturated fat delight. I made it Friday night and every single family member loved it and asked that it become a regular dish. When my kids and husband all eat the same thing and all go on and on about how good it was, believe me that makes for one happy me.
So without further ado here is the new and improved (IMO) Spaghetti Carbonara... I did make a couple of subtle changes to what was in Redbook but nothing that is going to add to the fat content or take away from the taste.

Serves 6, Calories: 449, Total fat 17g (saturated 7g), Protein 18g, Carbs 54g

1Lb Spaghetti
3 Large eggs
1/4 C chopped parsley
1/4 tsp each hot red pepper flakes and salt
5 strips of bacon
1Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/3 C frozen peas, thawed
1/2 C grated Parmesean cheese

1. Cook noodles. Drain , reserving 1Cup of pasta water
2. Meanwhile whisk together eggs, parsley, pepper flakes, and salt
3. Crisp up bacon, chop into small pieces and set aside
4. In bacon drippings add garlic and black pepper and cook 1 minute more, reduce heat to medium low.
5. Add pasta, egg mixture, peas, bacon and 1/2 C of pasta water, stir and cook 1 to 2 mins add more pasta water if necessary ( I added an extra 1/4 C ) until sauce has a creamy consistency. Mix in cheese and serve immediately

2 comments:

Bean said...

try it with pancetta instead of bacon, aawwwww yeah - LOVE me some carbonara :)

A Little Of A Lot said...

I'll do that next time Bean, I was using what was on hand and bacon just happened to be staring at me from the meat draw :)

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